1600 safety interlocking devices from Dutch industrial safety specialist Netherlocks B.V. have been successfully installed at the Shell Eastern Petroleum (Pte) Ltd. (SEPL) Ethylene Cracker Complex in Pular Ular, Singapore. The main applications for the interlocks are for the decoking process, and on isolation valves for PSVs (Pressure Safety Valves).

1600 Valve safety interlocks from Netherlocks B.V. have been installed at the new Ethylene Cracker Complex in Singapore.

Netherlocks’ interlocks use a linear key transfer system to ensure that processes can only be carried out in the correct order, ensuring each part has been safely completed before the next can be started. Safely completing the previous step in the process sequence will release a unique key that then unlocks the next step; only when a mistake is made will the operator be prevented from proceeding by a key that doesn’t fit or a valve locked in position. This simple principle can be propagated to more complex procedures, but in every case it physically ensures that safety protocols and work orders are followed exactly, leaving no scope for human error.

Projected to produce 800 kt/a of ethylene, 450 kt/a of propylene and 230 kt/a of benzene, the facility consists of an Ethylene Cracker Unit, a Pygas Hydrogenation/Benzene Extraction Unit, a C4 Selective Hydrogenation Unit and various associated utilities. Opened in March 2010, the complex links the nearby SEPL Refinery with downstream chemical units, forming an integrated petrochemical ‘super site’ in Singapore. With plant safety such a critical issue, Netherlocks is proud to offer both its range of high quality, reliable products and many years of experience and expertise in the industrial safety field.

Netherlocks is a Halma Company. Halma makes products for hazard detection and life protection and is a market leader in specialist electronic, safety and environmental technologies. Visit the Halma web site at
www.halma.com